If anyone in Colorado is enjoying the recent bizarre weather — the tornados, the rain, the hail — it’s probably Owen Daniels.

Nicknamed The Weatherman because of his degree in atmospheric and oceanic sciences from the University of Wisconsin, Daniels’ love for all things related to the weather is well known at this point. He’ll occasionally drop weather terminology in team press conferences — “I believe it’s elevation, not altitude” — and has admitted he wishes he could chase tornados (probably wouldn’t fly with John Elway).

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Broncos’ two-time Pro Bowl tight end and in-house meteorologist made an appearance on The Weather Channel’s WX Geeks on Sunday to talk storms and football, and even give a forecast.

Wes Welker became a free agent after his two-year deal with the Broncos expired following the 2014-15 season. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Wes Welker is still searching for his next home. He’s still hoping he’ll have a next home.

The 34-year-old slot receiver became a free agent after his two-year deal with the Broncos expired after last season, and he has yet to sign on with new team. Perhaps because of his age. Perhaps because of his health record. Perhaps because of his statistical decline.

But Welker is still hoping someone will take him on. Even the Patriots.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” he told 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, via The Boston Herald. “It’s a great organization, obviously, and a great team. It wouldn’t be the worst situation in the world. At times you’re sitting there and thinking, ‘Well maybe I should (retire).’ I think it’s just people kind of (pressuring you), but the more you think about it, and you’re away from it, I’m not ready to (retire). I still feel good. I still feel like I have some really good football left in me. I’ve always said (I’ll play) until the wheels fall off.”

Welker signed with the Broncos in March 2013 after he and the Patriots failed to agree on a new deal following his sixth season with the team. On Wednesday, Welker told Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com that the move to Denver was difficult, but it wasn’t one he regrets.

“I think at first it was hard, but it was what it was,” he said. “That’s the way life goes sometimes. You just roll with it. It was hard to make that move, but I really enjoyed my time in Denver. I really enjoyed seeing that perspective of it, just being with that organization. It was tough, but I have no regrets about it.”

Marcus Mariota (center) and Jameis Winston (right) had the top two best-selling jerseys in May. Peyton Manning had the 10th-best. (John Leyba, The Denver Post; The Associated Press

The rookies have taken over. Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, the top two picks in the 2015 draft who have yet to play a single down in the NFL, were the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling jerseys, respectively, in May, according to NFLShop.com.

Tom Brady came in at No. 3, perhaps proving that Deflategate hasn’t affected his popularity in the league, or at least his marketability.

At No. 10 is Peyton Manning, the seventh quarterback and the only Bronco on the list. Tim Tebow, who is trying to make a comeback with the Eagles, is No. 15.

Rick Upchurch was inducted into the Ring of Fame last season. He’ll be at the Broncos’ Alumni festivities Sunday and Monday. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

The Broncos Alumni Association will hold its annual Gala Sunday and golf tournament Monday at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield. The Alumni Charities benefit Cleats for Kids, which provides free football cleats to disadvantaged youths. The golf Monday is played in a 9 a.m. shotgun start, best-ball scramble format.

You can tell a lot about a team based on their music selection during practices. And the Broncos, who opened Week 2 of their organized training activities Monday, thoroughly impressed with their old-school hip-hop lineup.

It started with Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” — which was blasted over the loud speakers not once, but twice — and only got better from there.

Chris Harris holds up four fingers after the Broncos won their fourth consecutive AFC West title. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Nearly eight months after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament in a divisional playoff game, Chris Harris started in the Broncos’ 2014 season opener and went on to have, arguably, the finest season of any cornerback in the league.

Pro Football Focus ranked him as the fourth-best player on the season and the best at his position.

Harris played all 16 games, made the Pro Bowl and was given second-team all-pro honors.

On Sunday, Pro Football Writers of America added to his list of 2014 honors by nominating him for the 2015 George Halas Award, given to the NFL player, coach or staff member “who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.”

“More than anything else you’ve got to get a returner and that’s something competition-wise right now that we’re going through,” DeCamillis said. “That’s what these OTAs are for, that’s what training camp will be for. And then we’re going to try to do certain things, conceptually, that help the guys, whatever they can do best. If we’ve got a guy that’s a speed guy, we need to get him outside more, we’re going to do that. If we’ve got a guy that’s more of a middle of the field, take one cut and go, we’re going to do that, too.

“We’ve got to find what our guys do best. And we’ll do that as we go forward, but I think in this stadium I know you have to be a really good punt-return team. I know that. We’re not probably going to get a lot of kickoff returns as you get in other places. We’ve got to be a great punt-return team because a lot of times when teams come in, they’re going to out-kick their coverage, and we’re going to have opportunities. We’ve got to make the most of those opportunities.”

Clady, the longest-tenured Bronco and a four-time Pro Bowler, was injured in a non-contact drill during the team’s first day of organized team activities on Wednesday. He saw a doctor later that afternoon, and MRI results Thursday morning confirmed the tear.

The loss of Clady dealt yet another blow to an offensive line has undergone numerous shifts and now features many young players. Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said rookie Ty Sambrailo, a Colorado State product, will shift to left tackle in the interim, but competition for the starting job will continue throughout training camp.

On Thursday, when word got out of Clady’s injury, his teammates took to social media to wish him well.

Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas may be absent from the team’s offseason workouts, but he’s not too far removed from the scene.

On Wednesday, before the start of the team’s organized team activities, fellow receiver Emmanuel Sanders and linebacker Von Miller FaceTimed with Thomas from his locker.

“Von was like, ‘I’m wearing your shoes today’ and I’m like, ‘I’m wearing your shirt today, just so you’re out there with us,” Sanders said. “I could tell he definitely misses being out here and he wants to be a part of this. Hopefully, he’ll be back soon.”

The Broncos placed their non-exclusive franchise tag on Thomas in March, giving him a one-year deal worth $12.82 million. But the star receiver chose to hold out of offseason workouts as he and the Broncos negotiate a long-term deal.

“One thing a lot of people don’t realize is when you’re playing on a one-year deal, there’s a lot of things going through your head,” Sanders said. “As much as you guys want to say, ‘Don’t think about it,’ of course it’s going to cross your mind because you’re talking about a lot of money at stake. When you’re playing these one-year deals, it’s a lot of stress on you. No matter how much you don’t want it to be, it’s going to happen. We’re all human.”Read more…

Peyton Manning’s PeyBack Foundation announced Wednesday that it distributed more than $1 million in grants to 144 youth-based agencies in Colorado, Tennessee, Louisiana and Indiana in 2015.

“The mission and work of the PeyBack Foundation is something we are very passionate about and to be able to continue our growth through increased giving is very rewarding,” Manning said in a release. “For the second year, we are fortunate to be able to provide a donation total of more than $1 million to youth based community organizations.

“With this donation, now collectively throughout the years, we have awarded more than $6.6 million in grants to more than 1000 youth organizations in Colorado, Tennessee, Louisiana and Indiana.”

The foundation, a non-profit created by Manning in 1999 to assist programs that offer growth and leadership opportunities to disadvantaged youth, received a record 700 applications this year. Seventy-three charities in Colorado received $625,000, 31 organizations in Tennessee received $180,500, 18 in Louisiana received $120,000 and 22 in Indiana got $75,500.

My story on Broncos running back Rob Lytle, who died of a heart attack in 2010 and was determined to be suffering from CTE, is in the Wednesday paper and here. It touches on the pictured book written by his son, Kelly.

One P.S.: Kelly Lytle also has disclosed that the family spread part of Rob’s ashes near the point of the Tatum hit in old Mile High Stadium.

And one disclaimer: What I and most with knowledge of the famous Jan. 1, 1978 AFC championship game consider to be an important point didn’t make the story. The Broncos had a touchdown pass to Jack Dolbin mistakenly ruled a trap and no-catch.

Yes, as discussed in the story, Lytle fumbled on his first-down carry from the Raiders’ 2 in the third quarter and linesman Ed Marion was incorrect when he ruled that the play was dead before Lytle lost control. The Raiders’ Mike McCoy recovered and Oakland should have been awarded possession. Lytle disclosed to me in book interviews in 2007 that he briefly was knocked unconscious on the play and didn’t remember the play after the game, when sportscaster Dick Schaap showed him the replay and asked him to comment — all on the air, live.

Lytle told me that he responded to Schaap, “Well, you win some and you lose some.”

In addition to what is in the story, Lytle told me of the play: “The only thing I know that happened is that when you’re out, you go loose. The ball just stayed on my stomach. If they have instant replay, it’s their ball. But in that day there’s no way those referees could have seen that. I ended up landing on it but I was out cold. I wasn’t grabbing at it. As soon as I was hit, it probably squirted out a little bit and they were able to recover.”

But what the Raiders and their proponents forgot about that game — and still forget — is that Craig Morton’s TD pass to Dolbin was disallowed when officials ruled Dolbin had trapped the ball, and replays clearly showed it was a clean catch.

“I caught a slant pass, dove out, laid out, caught the ball, rolled up, and got into the end zone,” Dolbin, a chiropractor in Pottsville, Pa., told me. “I’m looking at the official, waiting for the sign and he’s just standing there looking at me. Then he’s looking at the guy standing upfield looking at him. Nobody wants to make the call. Finally they said incomplete. It was the greatest catch of my career. But it didn’t count. After the game I was interviewed (on television) and I said I guess things balance out. I said Rob’s fumble wasn’t called a fumble, and my catch wasn’t called a catch. I said, ‘This is the way the game goes.'”

About four days later, Dolbin — against his better judgment — opened an envelope postmarked Oakland. The letter ranted about Dolbin’s statement that Lytle’s non-fumble and Dolbin’s non-catch were examples of how the breaks even out.

The letter began: “Dear Stupid…”

No, Dolbin was right. In the era before video review, the breaks — and the bad calls — did tend to even out. And they did on Jan. 1, 1978 too.

The Broncos hit the green at Sanctuary Golf Course in Sedalia on Tuesday for some team bonding before the start of organized team activities (OTAs) Wednesday. Here are some of the highlights, courtesy of the players’ and team’s Twitter accounts:

Tevrin Brandon #33 works out during rookie minicamp on Saturday, May 9, 2015 at the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre in Englewood. (Brent Lewis, The Denver Post)

Broncos cornerback Tevrin Brandon sustained minor injuries when he was stuck by a car in Belmar, N.J., on Sunday morning, the team confirmed.

Brandon, signed to a futures contract in April, was briefly hospitalized but is expected to practice on Wednesday when the team reconvenes for workouts. According to NJ.com, which first reported the accident, Brandon was crossing the intersection of Highways 71 and 35 when he was struck by what police believe was a black Ford F-150 truck. The truck fled the scene.

As part of the Taste of the Broncos fund-raising event on June 16 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Peyton Manning and some of his Broncos teammates will go head-to-head in a fight song conducting battle, with each out to prove his school’s song is best.

In Wednesday’s finale, Manning was one of the celebrity guests invited to read the Top 10 List: “Things I’ve always wanted to say to Dave.” Manning was No. 3, with the line “Dave, you are to comedy what I am to comedy.”

Letterman watched in awe as Manning read his line, but in his piece for MMQB, Manning said he was the one in awe, as he watched the remainder of the show from the back of the theater and reflected on his friendship with Letterman.

Manning also recounted his favorite memory of Letterman, which didn’t appear on cameras. It was the day before the 2012 draft, in which the Colts had the first pick. Manning had just signed with the Broncos and was at their facility trying to get acclimated to his new city and team.

Broncos kicker Connor Barth was perfect from both the 20-yard PAT distance and from 30-39 yards out last season. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

In an attempt to make point-after-touchdown attempts more exciting, NFL owners voted on Tuesday to move extra-point kicks to the 15-yard line from the 2-yard line, extending the 20-yard extra points to 33-yarders. Two-point conversion attempts will remain at the 2-yard line, but defenses will be allowed to score by blocking a PAT or intercepting a two-point conversion and running it back.

Connor Barth, who signed with the Broncos last season and was perfect from both the 20-yard PAT distance and from 30-39 yards out, isn’t thrilled with the changes, although he does see one possible benefit:

Whelp the value of the kicking position just went up! Thanks @nfl for the rule change!

Owner Robert Kraft took a step back Tuesday, viewing the Patriots’ drama through a wider lens. After initially contesting the findings of Deflategate, Kraft said from the owners spring meeting that he would “reluctantly accept” commissioner Roger Goodell’s discipline of the team and not appeal the discipline.

This represents a stark reversal for Kraft. Kraft insisted the Wells’ report was flawed and that quarterback Tom Brady told him the truth when he said he did nothing against the rules regarding the use of deflated footballs in the AFC Championship game.

Kraft insisted Tuesday that he didn’t want the “rhetoric to continue,” noting it was not good for the league. He didn’t say whether he will advise Brady to drop the appeal of his four-game suspension. The NFL Players Association announced that Kraft’s decision will not impact Brady’s position. The Patriots received a record-breaking $1-million fine and lost a number one draft pick in 2016 and a fourth-round selection in 2017.

“Mr. Kraft is a brilliant businessman,” said former Patriots offensive lineman Damien Woody. “This was good for business.”

Of course, skepticism surrounds Kraft’s move. Was it for the greater good? Or the best thing for his quarterback, who could have his suspension reduced by the league now that the team has dropped its scorch-the-earth defense? Kraft found himself in a difficult position. No one offered more public support of Goodell last season when the commissioner was universally panned for his handling of the Ray Rice case.

The NFLPA agreed to allow Goodell to have absurd power in discipline cases, and the owners didn’t challenge it. It creates an avenue for Goodell to drop the hammer, shielding owners from direct hits. Kraft had his back on this. To reverse course when it affected his team left him open to continued criticism. Whether this was a political will be debated as Brady’s appeal plays out.

Kraft took the punishment without taking questions. For a few days last week, he rejoiced in the conflict. But continuing the fight, in my opinion, might not have been the best strategy to accelerate the return of arguably the game’s greatest-ever quarterback.

Adrian Robinson (57) tackles Raiders receiver Jacoby Ford during a game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in September 2013. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Adrian Robinson, a former NFL linebacker out of Temple University who played six games with the Broncos in 2013, died Saturday night. He was only 25.

The cause of death has not been released.

Robinson, a Harrisburg, Pa., native and the 2009 Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, played 50 career games at Temple, recording 156 tackles and 22 1/2 sacks.

He signed with the Steelers in 2012 as an undrafted free agent and later played for the Chargers and Redskins. In 22 NFL appearances, in 2012 and 2013, Robinson recorded two tackles (one assisted) — both with the Broncos.

Denver claimed Robinson off waivers on Sept. 1, 2013 from the Eagles, where he had been traded and released a week later. He was waived by Denver on Oct. 15 that same season.

Robinson did not play in the NFL in 2014 but had signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League on April 27.

It deeply saddens all of us to share with you that Adrian Robinson Jr. passed away last night at the age of 25. Adrian was a beloved father, son, brother, friend and teammate. We ask that you please respect his family’s privacy during this difficult time, and especially keep his daughter Avery Marie in your prayers. Thank you for all of your support and consideration.

Former Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said the Deflategate penalty is an “overreaction.” (Steve Nehf, The Denver Post)

Former Broncos defensive coordinator and new Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said he believes the Deflategate penalty handed to Tom Brady and the Patriots is an “overreaction,” much like the 2010 NCAA sanctions against Reggie Bush and Southern California.

“I think there are some similarities in terms of an overreaction, from my standpoint,” he told The Associated Press before his induction into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame. “I think it was a little bit overdone, but that’s somebody else’s problem right now.”

The NCAA found that Bush and basketball player O.J. Mayo received gifts from agents. USC’s football program was placed on four years of probation, forced to vacate the final two wins of its 2004 season and all of its wins in 2005. It was also banned from bowl games for two years, lost 30 scholarships and Bush forfeited his 2005 Heisman Trophy. The basketball team had to give up all of its 2007-08 victories and sit out the 2010 postseason.

In the Deflategate case, in which the Patriots were found to have illegally deflated footballs in the AFC championship game, Brady was suspended four games, and the Patriots were fined a record $1 million and stripped of two draft picks.

Del Rio told the AP that a warning would have sufficed.

“Everybody understands that quarterbacks all want to get the balls how they like them, and why not?” Del Rio said. “They throw these balls around, and one of the reasons the sport is so popular is the ability of guys like Peyton (Manning) and Brady to throw the ball the way they do.”

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.